User Manual

M-Series 16 / 28 rev. 1.2
Device Details
MADI Ports
MADI (Multichannel Audio Digital Interface) was first standardized by the AES10-1991 for the transmission of 56
digital audio channels in one frame. The revision AES10-2003 enhanced the number of channels to maximal 64
digital channels. The M-Series supports the formats according to both standards. If an external device cannot
handle a 64 channel MADI frame the ports can be set to the ‘older’ AES10 standard with OPTOCORE
CONTROL.
The M-Series devices are equipped with up to eight MADI input ports and eight MADI output ports, each
transmitting or receiving up to 64 audio channels. This amounts to a total number of up to 512 input channels and
512 output channels per device. The interfaces are SC multi/singlemode for optical connections and/or BNC
connectors.
The M-Series device is the perfect main MADI hub unit for a wide range of professional audio devices with MADI
inputs and outputs such as digital consoles, DAW, playback devices and professional broadcast units. The huge
amount of channels exchanged by one M-Series device makes it the ideal and the most cost effective interface
for digital console systems as well as a perfect central device offering individual channel routing feature.
The number of input and output channels exchanged at each port and transmitted on the fibre optical connection
can be defined in the OPTOCORE CONTROL software (for details refer to OPTOCORE CONTROL SOFTWARE
Manual). This keeps the matrix easy-to-handle and the quantity of channels per device in the network flexible.
Optocore Fibre Optic Connection
The device is equipped with the Optocore FX communication module. The OPTOCORE ® OPTICAL DIGITAL
NETWORK SYSTEM utilizes Time Division Multiplex technology (TDM) with a Fibre Channel based 8B10B-NRZI-
coding. Static time slots guarantee a synchronous transmission of all channels, at all times, without the use of
dynamic bandwidth or latency. All signals connected to the intercom, audio, video, word clock and auxiliary ports
of the device are transmitted simultaneously on one fibre while the second fibre of the LINK-Interface receives
data from the network. The second LINK-Interface pair is identical to the first one, and can optionally be used for
network redundancy.
SANE Ports
The device is equipped with two RJ45 200MBit SANE Ports, capable of transmitting 64 channels of synchronous
audio and 100MBit Ethernet. SANE 2 port is compatible with MADI over Cat protocol.
RS485 Auxiliary Ports
The auxiliary ports provide four RS485 interfaces to establish a maximum of four half-duplex or two full-duplex
connections between the devices. A wide range of bi-directional and unidirectional standards can be connected,
such as RS485, CAN-Bus (bi-directional, requires special firmware version), or RS422, DMX, MIDI
(unidirectional). The ports automatically sense whether they are sending or receiving control data.
The ports and their destinations are configured in the OPTOCORE CONTROL software..
Word Clock
Devices with Optocore/SANE modules are equipped with an internal, high quality, low jitter clock generator as
well as Word Clock inputs and outputs. Any device on the network can act as the master of the network and pass
Word Clock to networked Optocore/SANE devices.
The internal/networked Word Clock is available at the Word Clock output connector of each device on the network
to synchronize non-networked devices.
In standalone network configurations external synchronization is not required.
The Word Clock input termination can be switched on using the OPTOCORE CONTROL software’s Local
Settings. External termination is not required to avoid cable reflections.
Word Clock master negotiation after any Word Clock source failure is done automatically.
Ethernet Ports
M-Series devices supports Optocore and SANE Ethernet transport. Two LAN ports interface with all other LAN
and SANE/LAN ports in the Optocore and SANE Network creating a large unmanaged virtual 100Mbit Ethernet
switch.